The Landlord
by IloveRinLen
Summary: "But...Every so often...There's a little chance that I see an adequate young lady come along, and then I am so happy when I open the door and there's a lady there who's...just right..." Based of a short story! R&R!


Hey all! :D  
>Today in LA we read this story called 'The Landlady' by Roald Dahl. It was creepy. :D Of course, I totally wanted it to become Rin and Len so... HERE IT IS! :D<p>

(Based strongly off 'The Landlady'- But I've added my own stuff! Not just the characters are changed!)

Disclaimer: Iz ownz nothingz, not even 'The Landlady' or 'Roald Dahl'...

Here we go!

Rin Kagamine was finally in England. After traveling days and days by train, she was in Bath. It was a tiring night. It was raining and she was tired and cold. She wanted to go inside somewhere, preferably a shower. Rin looked around, sighed once more, the millionth time that night, and continued to plod down the soaked road. Her feet crashed down into puddles and water splashed all around. Rin felt a sneeze coming on. She hurried down the street, stopping a taxicab with her hand.

"Hello," she said hurriedly. "Is there a nice hotel here somewhere? Somewhere preferably cheap?"

The driver gazed down the street thoughtfully, and nodded. "Hm. Maybe... The Royal Crescent Hotel?"

"Oh," Rin said in dismay. That hotel was barely in eye's view.

"I could drop you there, perhaps?" The driver seemed to be leering at her.

"Oh, no thank you." Rin walked quickly away from the cab, which, after a moment's hesitation, drove off.

Rin had never been here. She was a Tokyo girl, through and through. Only sixteen years old, the young singer had wound up in Bath on her journey to become world famous. The rain was quick to plaster her golden locks to her back, and her blue eyes warily scanned the street ahead of her. She was wearing a casual trench coat in a cream color, and her hands were tucked into her pockets. The streets were lined with shops that had fantastical décor in just the windows. Rin had to smile at a little doll that waved at her from a dark store window.

As though she sensed something, Rin stopped suddenly. She looked around, and then her eyes caught the sign. It said, 'Bed and Breakfast- Very Cheap!' Rin longingly stared at the orange glow emanating from the fire that was obviously in the house.

_Well. I mustn't just wander around like a loony person. _Rin thought, and once again peered in frustration at the window. She stood on her tiptoes and surveyed the cozy little living room. There was a cat that was curled up on top of the fireplace, and two canaries that were perched on a little steel rod in their cage.

_Like Tweety and Sebastian, _Rin thought in amusement.

She saw other quaint little details around the house, like a piano, a red sofa, a cluster of chairs. There was a table with a teapot placed on it. Rin felt two strong temptations: One to walk in, and one to walk away. She wanted a hotel, for one thing, and she had never particularly enjoyed tea. She imagined this type of place to be a stuffy little teashop of a place, with grandmotherly type women walking around. Rin backed away to leave, but it was if hands stopped and glued her in place. She wanted to walk away, and yet she didn't. She felt a longing to go inside, to feel the warm hands of the fire...

She found herself on the porch, ringing the bell.

Rin hadn't even removed her finger from the doorbell before the door had swung right open. The door flew open as though it had been expecting her arrival, and there stood...

Rin's jaw dropped.

_This is _so _not a grandmotherly woman._

A drop-dead handsome boy stood there, looking only a year or two older than her. Blond bangs framed cerulean eyes, and black glasses lay on the bridge of a perfect ski-slope nose. He smiled warmly at her and leaned against the doorway, using a slender finger to push up his glasses. He met her eyes and stepped aside.

"Well... Are you coming in?"

"I...Come...Bed...I...What?" she stammered, gesturing to herself and back at the rain wildly. She gathered herself rapidly and hesitantly wavered around the doorway. "Yeah, so...Um, about that 'Bed and Breakfast' sign..."

"It's waiting for you." He said gently.

"I was going to go to the Royal Crescent..."

"Christ, girl, you really must come in from the rain. It'll make you quite sick."

"Just how much, er, money?"

"Five and sixpence."

"Oh my, that's...very..." _Holy...That's so cheap!_

"If it's too expensive," worry etched his face. "I could reduce the price a bit?"

"Ah...No, that's fine." She smiled, although her teeth chattered fervently. "I would like to come in."

"Ah, yes... Please, do come in."

Rin hurried into the warm house, water gathering in a puddle around her feet. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Not to worry." he said, disappearing into the kitchen, only to return with a dishrag.

"I'll do it." Rin offered.

"No," he said firmly. "It's fine. Please, sit down. After all, no one's here currently. We have the whole house to _ourselves."_

Rin fidgeted, slightly afraid of being in the house alone with the boy. _He's kind of crazy..._

"I thought, you know, that there would be so many people here..."

"Oh no." He said softly. "I'm _very _particular with who I let inside this dwelling."

"I see."

"But...Every so often...There's a _little _chance that I see an adequate young lady come along, and then I am so happy when I open the door and there's a lady there who's..._just right..._" His eyes traveled down her form from above the glasses, all the way from the white bow in her blond hair, down to her shoes. He looked down at her from his spot on the staircase. "I suppose...One like you."

Suddenly, he was speaking loudly again, and Rin jumped.

"The second floor is mine."

And the next flight up:

"And this floor belongs to only you." He smirked. "Please, enjoy." He led her to the bedroom and turned on the light.

"The sun will greet you every morning." he said thoughtfully. He looked between her and the window as if wondering where to place her. He stood in front of the window and muttered a few words to himself. Then, he smiled.

"Ah, yes." he said. "The perfect floor for you."

He cleared his throat. "Also, the bed is very warm."

"Thank you so much for everything." Rin blushed.

There were even nightclothes on the bed, as if he was waiting for her.

"I'm so glad you're here." He said genuinely. "I was very worried."

She answered brightly, yet she was confused. What did he mean? Why was he worried? "Oh, that's very much all right. Thank you for letting me stay."

"And dinner, sweetheart? Did you eat before venturing?" He asked charmingly.

"Oh, yes! You need not worry about me, please!"

"All right, I'll leave you to unpack your belongings. Please sign the guest book on the lowest floor, though. We all must do that, so be sure that you follow the law and sign. Thank you!"

Rin giggled nervously and shyly. "Okay."

His face donned a mysteriously plotting smile as he went back to his floor. Obviously, she thought, he's a bit wacky, but I shouldn't let that worry me in the slightest.

After unpacking and using a shower and the restroom, she explored her floor. Then, she went down the stairs to the ground floor and savored the buttery warmth of the inviting room. _I'm quite lucky, and here I am, utterly ungrateful, complaining about the one who let me in._

The guest book sat, inviting, on the piano, and she wandered forward. She pulled out her quill and scribbled her name across the page. She took a moment to scan the entries.

There were only two of them, besides hers.

One name was _Miku Hatsune _and the other was _Megumi Megpoid._

Rin bit on the nail of her thumb, her mind racing.

"Miku Hatsune and Megumi Megpoid..." she muttered aloud. "How odd." She recognized those names from somewhere, but where, she did not know. Both names were also linked, a fuzzy chain in her memory.

"Beautiful ladies."

The boy was holding a small plate with a cup of tea in it. Rin smiled politely and took the teacup, letting the warmth of the pink flower dotted cup transfer warmth into her hands.

"Yes," Rin said carefully. "Their names are awful familiar, and I feel like I...I know them...from somewhere..."

"Interesting." He took off his glasses and offered her a butter slathered biscuit. She moved the tea to her other hand and took a bite of the biscuit.

"In fact, I must ask you. Were they famous?"

"Definitely not. But both were lovely... Petite and pretty and charming. Just like my newest visitor." He looked at her once more.

Rin averted her eyes back to the guestbook.

"These names," she murmured, tracing her finger over the loopy signatures. "The entries...The last one is almost two years ago. Miku's is three."

"Is it?" His eyes bore into Rin, as though they were ropes, binding her in place. "Hm, time really flies, doesn't it?"

"And they...I feel like they're famous... for the same thing, almost."

"That's very amusing." He touched the couch cushion next to his. "Why don't you sit down and enjoy the tea?"

"I think they're...Or they were, in the newspaper." The thought nagged at Rin. "In fact, Miku was a singer!" It all came back in a rush. She'd known those two girls. She set down the teacup. "She was touring this very place, I believe...But then, she went-"

"Sugar cubes? Would you like some milk? I am more of a tea person than a coffee person."

"Yes, thank you. Suddenly, Miku went miss-"

"A singer?" The boy stared intensely at Rin, an almost mocking smile on his handsome face. "No, that's not right. This Miku, she was just an ordinary girl. Why don't you sit next to me? The fire is extremely cozy and I do believe that it will be enjoyable." He watched her as she came over and sat down. He took her teacup and handed it back to her.

"This is very warm, isn't it?"

Rin placed her lips on the edge of the teacup and sipped the tea, her mind still far away, at the Tokyo recording studio. She knew those girls!

His eyes followed her every movement, her fingers as she tapped them restlessly against the table, the other hand clenching the porcelain handle of the teacup. She caught an aura around him, and there was an odd smell in the air around him. She couldn't place it, not that it was unpleasant. Yet...

"You drink your tea oddly. Around here, we extend our pinkies slightly. (I'm sorry any British/England people out there if I messed this up- I'm Asian D: ) Where are you from?" He asked her.

"Ah-Tokyo." She blurted out nervously. She felt like a rabbit. Poised to run.

"I guess that they're both gone by now..." she whispered, thinking about Miku and Gumi, her throat dry.

"Hm?" The boy raised one perfect eyebrow. "No, no, they're both here, still there on the fourth floor, together. But you get the third floor."

Rin felt her stomach churn, and she didn't believe it to be the tea.

He ruffled her hair slightly. Rin fought the urge to scream and run out the door. *See! It IS a bit different...*

"How old are you?" he asked inquisitively.

"Sixteen," she stammered, mentally scolding herself.

"The perfect age," he said indifferently. "Ms. Megpoid was...Sixteen, but taller than you..." He scanned her again. "She had lovely green eyes. But not as gorgeous as your cerulean ones... Did you know, your eyes have glints of silver in them?"

"...I suppose I've never noticed."

"Ms. Hatsune, well, she was twenty something. Still young, beautiful teal hair."

_Teal hair. I knew her. She had teal hair. I need to get out of here._

Rin sipped the tea.

"Those canaries...They aren't real, are they?"

"No, not anymore."

"You had me going there... I thought they were alive."

"Thank you."

"Wait, you do them yourself?"

"Oh yes. Have you seen Kaito the cat yet?" He pointed at the black and white cat on the fireplace.

"Oh my," Rin said, awed. "That cat is perfectly preserved."

"I have done all my pets like that, when they pass away."

"I suppose that you only do animals."

"Actually...There are other things I do that aren't animals." He gazed at her once more, his smile dancing on the verge of sinister.

Rin felt all the more sick. Her eyes widened and she felt them glaze over with panic.

She sipped her tea, looking down into the murky liquid so she he couldn't see her eyes.

Now that she actually cast her attention to it, the tea tasted of almonds. Yes, that was right. Almonds.

"Did you sign the book?"

"Yes, of course." Rin said quietly.

"Excellent. That way, if I forget your name, I can always come back and look."

"I won't be staying that long..." Rin said calmly.

"Oh, is that so? I think you may enjoy your spot so much that you'll feel inclined to stay."

"My...Spot?"

"Yes, the spot where you'll be."

Rin looked directly at him. His smile was quite evil, now, and almost scary to look at.

"Have there been any guests except me and the two other ladies, excuse my asking?"

He tilted his head, as though admiring the pose she was captured in, now: Her head facing him, her blond hair drying into a straight waterfall, holding a teacup between two hands. He smiled once more and his eyes grew wider.

"No, sweetheart. Only you."

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!

That night would be torn apart by unearthly screaming from the house. It would appear as though the tea didn't work well enough... And on the fourth floor, two young women would look out over the night with unseeing eyes, stitched smiles on their faces, paralyzed fear hidden in their expressions. (ALTERNATE ENDING)

Potassium cyanide, by the way, tastes of almonds and is a poison. (Insert evil laugh)- The rest, well, it's up to you, but it shouldn't be that hard to figure out...


End file.
